Associations between alveolar heights and vertical skeletal pattern in Moroccan adults: A cephalometric study of 127 clinical cases

The aim of our study was to investigate vertical dentoalveolar compensation in untreated patients, in search of an association between vertical facial pattern and alveolar heights. This study involved the participation of 127 untreated Moroccan adults from the patient population of the ODF (Dentofacial Orthopedics) Department at the Center for Dental Treatment and Consultation (CCTD) in Rabat. Full adult dentition was the only criterion for inclusion. Patients with major syndromes and patients with facial clefts were excluded from the study. For the purposes of this analysis, we used profile teleradiography to measure vertical and sagittal skeletal variables as well as vertical dentoalveolar variables in the anterior and posterior maxillary and mandibular regions. We also measured the incisor axes. Analyses and statistical tests were performed with SPSS® statistics software (version 9.5 for Windows). Results indicate that: (i) upper posterior alveolar height (UPAH) does not correlate with skeletal variables of facial divergence, but correlates strongly with anterior facial height (AFH) and moderately with posterior facial height (PFH); (ii) lower anterior alveolar height (LAAH) correlates negatively with facial height index (FHI), positively with the FMA and AFH, but does not correlate with PFH; (iii) lower posterior alveolar height (LPAH) does not correlate with skeletal variables of facial divergence; (iv) upper anterior alveolar height (UAAH) changes inversely with FHI, correlates positively with the FMA and does not correlate with PFH.